Alexander brandon



' (No ModeL) 2 Sheets8heet '1.

A. BRANDON.

INSULATING SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTING WIRES. No.. 342,324.PatentedMay 25, 1886.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A.BRANDONN INSULATING SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTING WIRES. No. 342,324Patented May 25, 1886.

% 10% 93mm mm UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXAXDER BRAXDON, OF NEXT YORK, N. Y.

INSULATING-SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTING-Wt RES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,324, dated May 25,1886.

Application filed February 17, lbli.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER Brannon, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inlnsulatingSupports for Electric Conducting-W'ires; and I do herebydeclare that the following is afull and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is asectional view ofa series of my improved insulating andsupporting bars arranged to support a series of electricconducting-wires; Fig. 2, a view in perspective ofone of the barsdetached; Fig. 3, a view in perspective, and Fig. 4 a side elevation, ofa modification of my invention; Fig. 5, a transverse section through asubway for carrying the wires in line with one of its man-holes.

My invention relates to supports for telegraph, telephone, or electriclight wires which are designed to be inclosedin subways or conduitswhere a large number of parallel wires are carried in the samedirection, and has for its object to provide a cheap and efficient meansfor supporting the wires, which shall effectually insulate them and willpermit ready access to any one or more of the wires and their removal orreplacement with ease, as required.

It consists, mainly, of a bar of insulating material formed with alongitudinal tongue formed or fitted on one side or face thereof, and acounterpart longitudinal recess on its opposite face, whereby any two ormore of the bars may be fitted together so as to interlock, thelongitudinal tongue being notched transversely at equal intervals toreceive the wires, as hereinafter more fully described.

A represents my insulating-bar, molded of glass, hard rubber, or otherequivalent nonconducting substance. The upper side or face of the bar isformed with a central longitudinal tongue or projection, which isdivided transversely by a series of notches, G C, Fig. 2, into a seriesof separate lugs or projections, D D. The sides of the notches (J C maybe parallel,but are preferably inclined or beveled, as shown in thedrawings, (see Figs. 2and 4,) to facilitate the insertion of a wirebetween them. The width of the lugs or projections D D is so much lessthan that of the bar as to Serial X0. 192,193. (No model.)

leave a wide shoulder or ledge, E, Fig. 2, on each side of the offsets.The opposite side or face of the bar A is longitudinally grooved, asshown at F, to a depth equalv to the height of the projections D D, thewidth of this groove in eachblock being such as that it will readilyreceive the projections D D ofa counterpart block when it is fitted overand upon them, bearing-surfaces B B being left on each side of thegroove, corresponding to the shoulders E E on each side of theprojections. \Vhen the groove,in any one block is thus fitted upon thenotched tongue or projections D D of another similar block, thebearing-snrfaces B between the groove and the outer edges of the blockwill drop into contact with the shoulder or ledge E on each side of theprojections D D, and if wires G G be laid transversely in the notches OO, as shown in Fig. 2, these lateral faces B on the upper block willrest upon the wires, and thus serve to confine them in place, as shownin Fig. 1. The blocks are preferably made in short lengths, so as to beeasily handled and moved, and uniform in all their dimensions, so as tobe interchangeable. The ends of the block may be plain or square, or beso formed as that the end of the one shall form one side of a notch, C",(see Fig. 2,) to be closed and completed when the opposite end of asimilar block is placed against it, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby a wiremay be sup ported in the joint between any two blocks properly placedend to end.

In the use of the blocks in tiers the lowermost tier may be supported ina wooden base or bar, H, longitudinally grooved to receive the lowerface of said first tier of blocks, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and aseries of said tiers, each supported upon a similar wooden bar, H, maybe placed one above the other, as shown in Fig. 5. The ends of each tiermay also be supported between vertical grooved. standards or uprights KK, Fig. 5 By means of these transverse insulated and insulatingsupporting-bars A A a number of wires, G G, may be readily and cheaplystrung in a longitudinal conduit or subway, S, (see Fig. 5,) of anyform, and when placed in position they will remain securely confined andsupported until it may be required to remove them.

As a modification of my device, I contemplate forming the notchedtongue-strip in a separate piece detached from the main block, so thatit may be seated for use in a longitudinal groove formed in the'block.This modification is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, inwhich A represents the main supporting-block of insulating material.This block is formed with corresponding central longitudinal grooves, KK, in opposite faces thereof, said grooves being adapted in width toreceive the thickness of alongitudinal plate or bar, L, also ofinsulating material, of such width as that when seated in either grooveK K of the block it shall project out from its face. This bar Lisnotched transversely on one edge, (see Fig. 4,) the notches O O thereineorrespondingin form and depth to the notches O O of the bar A,hereinbefore described. The projecting strips M M, (see Fig. 3,) oneither side of the longitudinal groove K on one side of the block A, arelikewise notched transversely at equal distances, (see Fig. 4,) thenotches O" C therein being preferably formed with inclined or beveledsides similar to the notches G O, and of a depth extending to the bottomof the groove K. Thelateral bearjug-strips B B, Fig. 3, upon theopposite side of the block on either side of the groove K therein, areleft plain.

In the use of this modification of my invention the wires G G, ledthrough the notches O O in a bar, L, are confined by inserting over andupon the notched edge of the bar one of the grooved sides of a block, A,so that the plain bearing-surfaces B B on each side of the groove Kshall rest upon the wires, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The next tier ofwires is then carried through the notches inthelongitudinal strips MM onthe opposite or upper side of the block A, and is confined therein bythe solid edge of a second strip or 40 bar, L, which is seated for thepurpose in the groove K between the strips M M, to rest upon the wires.The grooved or notched blocks A A and detached notched tongue strips orbars L L thus accomplish the same results as 5 electricconducting-wires, having a longitudi- 5o nal groove upon one face, incombination with a longitudinal transversely-notched strip or bar uponits opposite face, substantially in the manner and for the purposeherein set forth.

2. A series of supporting-blocks ofnon-conducting material,incombination with a transversely -notched tongue adapted to projectlongitudinally from one face of each block into a counterpart groove inthe opposite face of a similar block, and a series of electricconducting wires carried transversely through the notches and betweenthe blocks, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein setforth.

In testimony Whereofl have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEX. BRANDON.

\Vitnesses:

J. F. AcKER, J r., JOHN A. ELLIS.

